The German Army appreciated the heavy 8.8cm FlaK36 anti-aircraft gun as an anti-tank gun. Its ability to knock out any tank at long range was far more interesting to front-line soldiers than its ability to protect their supply lines from Allied bombing raids. As a result, German divisions were often accompanied by Luftwaffe (Air Force) heavy anti-aircraft batteries operating as anti-tank guns. These units were so effective that Allied tank crews soon started referring to any effective anti-tank gun as an '88'.